my husband had a green card and worked in florida and new york for a numder of years{ i do not know how many years} as an assistant horse trainer. He is now deceased. I would like to know if i am eligible for social security benefits. I live in the bahamas, please tell me if i would qualify.

Hi,

I'm sorry for your loss.

I don't have access to your husband's earnings history so I can't answer your question. Your husband would need to have worked and paid into Social Security long enough to be insured in order for you to potentially qualify for widow's benefits (https://www.ssa.gov/OP_Home/handbook/handbook.04/handbook-0401.html), and the amount of credits that he would need varies depending upon his age at the time of his death. For example, 40 quarters of coverage (10 years) are needed for insured status if a person lives until at least age 62, whereas a person who died at age 28 or younger could be insured with as few as 6 quarters of coverage (1 & 1/2 years).

I would suggest contacting Social Security and discussing this issue with them. You can call them at 1-800-772-1213.

Best, Jerry